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“Do we need promises for that? I thought you were a sure thing, Callahan.”
When she turned to hug her sister and greet some guests, he noticed for the first time that her dress was backless, exposing her entire back from the tops of her shoulders to the dip where he liked to rest his hand. He nearly groaned out loud, his fingers itching to slip under the fabric and down to the perfect curve of her ass. Sweet Christ, he desperately needed this day to be over.
But they had hours to go yet. First he had to suffer through a receiving line shaking hands and accepting congratulations from people he’d never met before and would likely never meet again. Then he had to suffer through pictures with not one but two trigger-happy photographers who were pointing and directing and posing what seemed like every single human being Aidan had ever met in his entire life.
When the posed photos were done, Sofia and Julia surrounded Viv, carefully removing her veil and reattaching the tiara before pinning up her train with a trio of hidden buttons so it bustled behind her instead of dragged.
When they were finally done and alone for a blessed minute, Aidan reached for Viv’s hand, drawing her against him where he reclined against the edge of a pew.
“Wife,” he said, rolling the strange word around in his mouth. He’d never imagined he’d get to use it before today.
“Husband,” she replied, draping her arms over his shoulders and leaning against his chest. “I’m already tired. If I have to keep smiling, my face is going to fall off.”
“We could skip it. Go right to the hotel instead.”
She straightened, a look he couldn’t name in her eyes, and stepped away from him, dancing out of his reach when he tried to pull her closer again. She smiled, but her voice was guarded when she spoke.
“I spent dozens of hours planning this thing that everyone keeps calling the social event of the season, so you’re not getting off that easy. You’ll have to wait until later to get it over with.”
“Hey.” Sofia appeared at the back of the church as if summoned. “You two ready?”
“Ready!” Viv called out, turning from him and walking up the aisle, dress swishing behind her.
With a sigh, he followed them out. There would be no such thing as getting it over with tonight. He intended to take his time. And a lot of it.
ChapterSixteen
The reception hall looked perfect, but that didn’t stop Viv from wanting to compulsively double-check every single detail. More so to keep herself busy than to ensure it was done correctly. They’d hired a coordinator to see to all the last-minute things and handle any issues that might arise today, but she needed a distraction.
Aidan was being affectionate—too affectionate—and she’d be damned if she let herself get caught up in his perfect act again. Except it was easy to forget he was faking it when he pinned her with looks that shot straight to her core from across the room.
This was an act, a duty for him. She’d known that from the first night she met him. If she made the mistake of jumbling his concern over her relationship with Collin and Collin’s antics in recent weeks with actual feelings for her, then that was her problem.
She only had herself to blame for not stopping the slow free fall of her stupid, traitorous heart. He’d been nothing but honest with her about this. She’d have to work harder to claw it back before he stomped on it and ruined it forever with his carelessness.
“We missed a step,” Aidan said from behind her, breath caressing her cheek as he whispered in her ear.
“Did we? Which one?" She turned to peek at him over her shoulder.
“Isn’t there supposed to be a first dance or whatever you call it?" he asked as he watched people join and leave the dance floor in the middle of the room.
“Oh. We decided to skip the traditional dances.”
“Why?”
At the genuine curiosity in his voice, she turned to look up at him, noting the frown creasing his forehead. “Because you and I don’t have a single song we’ve ever danced to, and you wouldn’t have anyone to dance with for the mother and son dance. So we decided to skip all three.”
“What if I don’t want to skip it?”
She tamped down her irritation and kept a serene smile on her face when she turned away again. “There’s only so much faking you’re required to do today, Callahan. I think you can let this one go.”
She knew he’d left only because a chill washed over her exposed back when he walked away. She was turning to take her seat at the head table when she heard the wobbly sound of the DJ’s mic engaging.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you could please take your seats so the bride and groom can enjoy their first dance as Mr. and Mrs.”
Her head whipped up in time to see Aidan walking toward her. He stopped a few inches in front of her, holding out his hand. With all eyes on them, she had no chance but to lay her fingers in his and let him lead her onto the now empty dance floor.
When a song came on that she didn’t recognize, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her in tight against him.
